Obi-Wan glanced at Anakin as they headed to Yoda's quarters together. "You seem a bit more settled," he commented.

"I told Snips, Rex, and Cody what the guardian believed," Anakin said. "They probably needed to know."

"Our commanders and your Padawan? Yes, probably," Obi-Wan said. "Only that?"

Anakin nodded. "Of course," he said. "It's better they don't know anything else right now. Ahsoka doesn't need the worry."

Obi-Wan smiled. "No, she doesn't." They entered the lift and Obi-Wan pushed the button for the correct floor. "Anakin, I… has Master Windu's actions been different since we've returned?" he asked.

Anakin blinked, then frowned. "No…" he drew the word out. "Not that I noticed."

Obi-wan nodded slowly. "And the fact that we told the Council you defeated Count Dooku, and he praised me first?"

Anakin shrugged. "That wasn't unusual," was all he said.

Obi-Wan frowned.

Anakin shook his head. "You have always been quick to point out when I did something, or contributed to something. I just thought it was… Master Windu doesn't like me."

"I never noticed…" Obi-Wan murmured.

"You noticed enough to make sure the Masters knew when I did something that deserved recognition."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "I should have noticed before now," he said.

Anakin pressed the "stop" button on the panel. "Obi-Wan, it doesn't matter. So you noticed how the Council has always treated me. Even if you never noticed before now, you always protected me from the worst of it. So you didn't fail me, or whatever you're thinking now."

As a matter of fact, Obi-Wan was thinking just that. "But I should have noticed," he repeated.

Anakin frowned. "No one noticed," he said. "Most of the Jedi seemed fine with just following the Council's lead, in fact. You never did, but… you were a young Knight. I figured you just didn't want to contradict them in words. I thought you were just…" he bit his lip. "I figured you didn't think you could say anything, and by the time you could, it was habit to just not follow their lead."

Obi-Wan sighed. "I'm sorry, Anakin."

Anakin shook his head. "You have nothing to apologize for," he said. "Never."

Obi-Wan reached out and started the lift again. "I'm surprised you stayed in the Order," he said.

"I… after the first couple of years, I thought I'd leave after I was Knighted, but the war…"

"Maybe we can end it soon. I don't want you to leave, but if the distrust means you would be better if you left, I want you to be happy."

Anakin smiled. "Master," he started. "I won't leave until the war is over. And even then, I have a Padawan who has to be Knighted first."

Obi-Wan smiled. "Very well," he said. "But I do want to talk later about why I suddenly noticed his attitude now, and not before now."

Anakin nodded. "I thought you had, already," he said. The lift opened and they headed for Master Yoda's quarters.

"I didn't," Obi-Wan said. "At least, not consciously."

Anakin glanced at him. "You were a good protector anyway," he said.

Obi-wan smiled faintly. All their bickering aside, Anakin didn't seem to blame him for any of his failings when he was Anakin's Master. Obi-Wan didn't understand why.

Before they reached his quarters, Master Yoda opened the door and looked them up and down, ending their conversation.

"Late, you are," Yoda said once they were all inside and seated on the cushions Yoda kept in his quarters.

"Yes Master," Obi-Wan said. He didn't offer any explanation, and Anakin was apparently willing to follow his lead.

"Meditation we must attempt," Yoda said. "Examine you both, I will, then show me the way you feel in the Force, you will."

"If we can, Master," Anakin said. "I've meditated with Obi-Wan hundreds of times and never noticed this twist before."

"Known about it, you have not," Yoda pointed out. "Perhaps now, see it I can."

Anakin bowed his head. Without another word, Obi-Wan took a deep breath and straightened his back. He reached out into the Force and that old familiar power flowed into him.

He felt Anakin reach out to him, and they fell into the Force together. Some time later (perhaps a minute, perhaps an hour) another joined them. He felt Yoda reaching into his Force sense, and relaxed, allowing the older Master to study him. He could feel Anakin beside him, struggling to do the same.

He could practically hear the mental "hmm" as Yoda studied them both. He could feel Anakin trying not to be resentful of this study. Anakin knew that any Jedi who were in their situation would be treated like this. Anakin knew that Obi-Wan was being treated just as Anakin was in this situation. So Anakin knew that this wasn't just the Council being suspicious again.

Yoda eased away from them both, then the request for Anakin to focus on the way Obi-Wan felt different floated through all their minds.

Obi-Wan kept himself open for Anakin to sense. Anakin seemed to simply surround him for a moment, and then retreat.

Slowly, the three of them surfaced from their meditation. "Hmmm," Yoda said noncommittally. "Dark, neither of you are," he said after a moment. "Unchanged, your Force sense appears to be. When sensing through young Skywalker, feel the changes I do. But otherwise, feel it I do not."

Anakin and Obi-Wan exchanged glances. "So even though you know it's there, you can't feel it?" Anakin asked.

Yoda reached out through the Force to them. "Feel it, I do not," he confirmed. "Strange, it is," he continued. "Felt it, I did, though young Skywalker. But now, gone it is. As if it was never there."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "Amazing," he murmured. "So, if we're right, and the Sith Master killed his master, and he's hiding his sense in the Force, Anakin and I are the only ones who would recognize him. "

"A suspect, you already have," Yoda said.

"I do," Obi-Wan said. "But I hope I'm wrong."

"Force, so do I," Anakin breathed.

Obi-Wan reached out and squeezed his shoulder. It was mostly for Anakin's sake that Obi-Wan hoped he was wrong. A Sith Lord would have befriended a Jedi Padawan for only one reason. Obi-Wan tamped down a sudden flare of protective fury. He might still be wrong.

"Good, it is, that to the Senate you must go. Announce Count Dooku's death tomorrow, we will."

"And they'll want to celebrate us, and give the newsfolk even more reasons to talk us up," Anakin completed unhappily. "As if we were the only Jedi who matter, when others are just as successful."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "At least we should be able to get close to our suspect."

Yoda cackled. "Expect this, no Sith would," he commented.

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes at the smaller Jedi. "What are you up to, Master Yoda?" he asked.

Yoda just smiled. "Sith Lords, you may be, by their ancient rules," he said. "But Jedi, you are as well. Turn the Sith against each other, we will."

Anakin coughed, snickered, and then just gave up and laughed.

Obi-Wan chuckled helplessly. Only Yoda would see it that way.

So... as to Anakin's decision regarding staying in the Jedi Order, at least for now- he actually feels very responsible for Ahsoka. She's his Padawan, and he wants her to do well. He also thinks she's family, and he wants to keep her safe, and the best way he can do that is by teaching her. So he takes that responsibility seriously.